Tickle Me Tuesday: Recaps, oh my!

What's tickling me this Tuesday? I'm still so happy I got to meet up with Patty in Connecticut at the beginning of July. :3 We went to Sugarbeads again (really, I could just live there among all those pretties...), but Patty brought out a huge surprise for me. A package!

For those of you who don't know, Patty is an extremely talented lady---not just with beads, but with paper, decorating, and quilting, too. She's been sharing a bunch of her beautiful paper crafts on her blog (here and here, for example). Never in a million years, though, could I have imagined such a beautifully decorated parcel. Here's a sneak peek:

An owly! And an Emerson quotation, too!

 

What treasures awaited inside?

Just look how beautiful!

Wrapping in book pages, so clever!

Do you see the owlies?! It was all I could do to keep from going SQUEEEEEE!!!

AND she added some of her beautiful etchings and these gorgeous pearls. <3

You can imagine how truly honored and happy I was to receive all of these magnificent lovelies. ^__^

We did both forget our cameras when we met at the shop (what a pair we were!), but I'll be sharing my stash tomorrow. (After I clean my bead table, of course... haven't worked on anything in so long, and so the space has a habit of collecting odds and ends.) Patty already shared her beautiful new stash here. She found some fabulous little Czech glass violet beads that I think we both ended up getting. :3

Ah, shopping for beads... so much fun, 

especially, but especially, with good company. :)

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A tintch of color theory...

Working with color can be tricky for even the most seasoned painter. But how about jewelry makers? Most beaders I've met have no fear of mixing and matching some of the most fun color combinations. This is fantastic and I think other kinds of artists can learn a thing or two from them. Nevertheless, I want to share a little bit of color theory that might be a new way to play with color for some jewelry makers; it might be just a refresher for others, or it may allow some folks to put names to techniques they've been using for a long time without ever realizing it!

One of my first tutorials on this blog was an article about the color wheel. The two techniques I'm going to babble about today are concerned with tints and shades. Just to make sure we're all on the same page, here are the definitions again:

Tint - when a color is desaturated by adding white, which makes it appear lighter. Pink is a tint of red.

Shade - when a color is desaturated by adding black, which makes it appear darker. Maroon is a shade of red.

 A monochromatic palette is one in which only a single color and black and white are used. Think Picasso during his "Rose" and "Blue" periods.

Near-monochromatic pieces use primarily one color (and black and white), but also another color for either contrast or harmony. These techniques are extremely popular in Japanese pop art for some reason. Here are some examples by female manga artist group, CLAMP:



Note that in each picture, there is a single main color of focus: red, green, and yellow, respectively. Also note the sparing use of a second color (yellow) for harmony in the green picture; and the sparing use of a second color (blue) for contrast in the yellow picture. Otherwise, really the only other "colors" used in these are black and white. The artists rely on tints and shades to add values (shading) to these pieces.

The same can be done in jewelry work. Chances are, even if you've never heard of this theory or these techniques before, you've used them without realizing it.

When I got this antique dress clip, the brass was so rich, I wanted to keep it the main focus. To further emphasize it, I needed to find something that would add a touch of contrast. The color wheel tutorial talks about near-complimentary colors:

Near-complementary colors - when a color is paired with the color that appears next to its compelementary color on the color wheel, creating slightly less visual tension. Blue and yellow-orange, for example, are near-complementary colors.

Brass is a yellow-orange metal, therefore blue-green is the perfect color to offset it; I chose turquoise, which is a blue-green stone. Then, in keeping with the idea of a near-monochromatic palette, I chose light golden pearls and light blue-green glass beads (both tints of the focal colors). I also tried to keep the proportions of yellow-to-blue the same throughout the rest of the necklace.

Here are some more jewelry pieces that artisans on etsy made

using monochromatic or near-monochromatic theory:

by doozydoo

by MaryLou Holvenstot

by Kimberly B. Jennings

by Rebecca Douglas

by Shannon

So now I'd like to challenge you to sit down at your beading table with these theories and techniques in mind and create a piece or two. Or, if you already have, to share them on your blog. Don't forget to leave a comment here so that I know and can check it out!

And, as always, happy beading. <3

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Book Review: Mod Knots

There's a tiny bookstore not too far from our old apartment. It's tucked into a dowdy old brick building that was a factory during the first few decades of the 20th century. The selection is not grand by any stretch of the imagination; they only have a single table for their craft section. But, once in a while, we get lucky and find something awesome. The last time I was there, I was browsing the craft table and caught sight of something blue under a pile of sewing books. To my endless surprise, it was Mod Knots: Creating Jewelry and Accessories with Macrame by Cathi Milligan.

I first heard about this book in a copy of Jewelry Affaire magazine (vol. 1, iss. 2; Autumn 2010, pg. 119). Cathi's "Swallow Set" caught my attention because it employed macrame techniques in its design. I remember admiring the macrame books in our old north country library back in Potsdam when I was going to college there; shortly after we moved to the Buffalo area, one of the exhibits in the on-campus art gallery was composed of all-macrame projects. It always seemed like a fun craft form, and I was curious to know how Cathi would put together a whole book around using the techniques in jewelry projects, so I bought it.

It's a fantastic book. I didn't know I already knew some macrame until I started looking through it! All those years of Girl Scouts and summer camps I learned what we call "boondoggle"---and come to find out, it's just macrame with strands of colorful plastic! But now I'm digressing... The beginning of the book offers really well-detailed instructions in the basic knots and styles of macrame. There are colored illustrations to make sure these techniques are easy to follow and understand. I feel like this section alone was worth the total cost of the book.

In the second part, Cathi offers several jewelry projects in different media. They are all lovely; I certainly never would have thought to use beading wire to do macrame, but it looks really fantastic. Again, the projects are all colorfully illustrated and easy to follow. And there's more than just jewelry projects. The last section offers year-round projects such as a scarf, a summer throw-over, a yoga mat bag, and so forth---all made with macrame.

Now, you may call me biased, but I wasn't too terribly interested in the final part of the book. For folks who love macrame, though, it's probably fine. I just would have wished for more jewelry projects. However, the first two sections made the book more than worth the money to any jewelry maker. I've been having fun using the techniques to come up with some of my own takes on it, drawing on those Girl Scout boondoggle years, too. I did find that it was somewhat difficult to find beads with holes large enough to use with hemp or leather cording; you may have to order some special. Bead reamers are definitely handy.

 

Cathi Milligan certainly opened my eyes to a whole new way to join the art of macrame with the craft of jewelry-making, and with delightful results. This book has a lot to offer anyone wishing to learn these techniques, whether to create lovely jewelry or other accessories for a fantastic handmade look any time of the year and for any occasion.

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New pieces, new pics

I'm not going to be around this weekend because of shows (so excited!), but I do have a book review coming up for you folks. (That is, if Blogger behaves itself...) I've been working up a storm to get ready, finishing pieces up and organizing things.

These are going to be displayed on my table, so the pictures are really more for documentation than anything. I've been so lazy with jewelry photographs lately... shame on me!

Anyway, there's going to be an army brass band at the market we're heading to tomorrow, and a pretty park on an island, so I'm really looking forward to it! I hope I don't get stuck at my table all day; while I love socializing and telling people about my work, I like to have the freedom of roaming around a little. Same goes for the show on Saturday, which is at the edge of a beautiful bay on Lake Ontario.

We're going to take lots of pictures! :3 So expect to hear all about it sometime early next week.

Have you all been having a productive few days? What are you up to this weekend?


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Mid-Monthly Challenge and Hop REVEAL!

Update: I received an email from Judy, and she had a bit of a scheduling conflict, so she is going to share her piece tomorrow. :)

This was scheduled to auto-post at 8:30 this morning, and it did not. I'm hoping this is the last of my disappearing emails and no-show posts. XD

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If you remember, we started a challenge and my first blog hop. Well, today is the reveal day!

Here are the folks who have bravely chosen to participate:

Patty from My Life Under the Bus
Karen from BeadDelirium
Judy from ThreeRedBeads
Therese from Therese's Treasures
Jacinta from Jamberrysong's Creations

The challenge was to come up with a piece inspired by the song "Mystery" by the Indigo Girls. (You may choose to listen to it below as you look at these pieces!)

The challenge was a bit difficult for us because it was not visual. I chose to take the lyrics and interpret them literally for my piece with implied meaning and value. For this particular song, I chose an asymmetrical design because of the nature of the relationship described in the lyrics; it seemed very one-sided. Feel free to skip the written bits; I'll just be babbling about the process of making this. XD

 I went to my stash with a basic idea in mind and sort of got lucky. XD The tones I definitely wanted to make dark because of the dark, mysterious nature of the song. I chose antiqued and patina copper for the foundation of the necklace. These Miss Fickle Media links have been tucked away in my stash for a while; they're called "sea grass" and I really wanted to use them in this piece because sea grass reminds me of the beach, and the beach of course says "SUMMER!" all over it. I also picked the little wheat-shaped gold element to represent the harvest---"summer's beginning to give up her fight"---I thought of the harvest and when the grass is all sun-bleached by September; same, too, with the three yellow stone beads on the other side, which are also meant to balance that element.

The lyric I really chose to focus on, though, is my favorite part: 

"my heart the red sun, your heart the moon clouded."

The copper was perfect for a red sun, but my luck really held with these moss-colored howlite beads. Where the bits of white show it looks just like the moon shimmering behind some clouds! As soon as I ran across them in my stash, I knew they were the ones.

Don't forget to check out what everyone else made!!

If you didn't get in on this challenge, I'm going to be offering another one up next month. Let me know if you have any suggestions for music, films, books, or other media to inspire it!

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Displays and Lessons Learned

Yesterday's show turned out to be a little disappointing. The location was great, the price was great, the light was great, the weather was great, the hostess was great... but there were no customers. I shouldn't say "no," but there were only four customers over the six hours that we were there. The other three jewelry makers bailed on us, so there was only myself and one other person (she was also great!). All in all, extremely quiet.

On the other hand! I did make three awesome new friends who I will likely see again. The gallery owner commissioned me to redo one of her necklaces and offered me a place in the next show for free (it will be more busy for several reasons that I won't babble about right now) because she felt so bad about not having any customers. We got to share knowledge and bounce ideas off of each other and we learned a lot about both our craft and our displays.

As much as customers would have been nice, the important thing was the experience, I think. My displays have become much better, but I did learn a few lessons.

 

1. My own personal table was far too small to accommodate my inventory. I put out about a fraction of things, so the few customers we did have pretty much swooped by and didn't linger.

2. Make sure I have the time right! I skimped on sleep the night before, and when I arrived at the gallery I was two hours early because I hadn't thought to look at the flier the night before and couldn't call the gallery owner because I had neglected to put her number into my phone or at least make sure I had it. Next time, I will make sure I've got these things down.

3. While my displays were awesome, I brought too many of them. This is related to lesson number one, but more specifically, I learned to set everything up before the show so that I know how it will all fit and sit on the table. I learned this from Stacie Louise's blog but neglected to do it. What's wrong with me?!?! XD I definitely regretted it and next time will certainly make sure to try it.

4. Bring less STUFF. I had a whole suitcase of beading materials and had planned to work at my table. SURPRISE! I didn't have any room for anything! On the plus side, though, I helped my jewelry-making neighbor by lending her some of my tools and had thought to bring a handful of magazines as conversation starters, which worked out excellently. However, next time I will bring only a small travel kit and an extra table. I will also obtain a folding chair for myself. The gallery owner told us we had to supply our own tables, and it was only at the last minute that I thought perhaps there wouldn't be chairs for us there, either. I grabbed one of our dining room chairs, but it took up so much room in the car and was really clunky to transport. Next time, folding chair.

5. Bedsheets make poor tablecloths. To be fair, this wasn't entirely my fault; we were sending some stuff home and that included a huge bag of fabric. I decided that I wouldn't need my tablecloths any time soon (this was back during the winter), so I stuffed them in there, too. Oh, dear! Wait... I guess it was entirely my fault. Ah, well. I went out to buy more tablecloths, but all the stores that were open at the ridiculous hour I was out and about only had the nasty vinyl ones. Hence my purchasing bedsheets. In actuality, they weren't bad at all. But I would have preferred to wash and/or iron them first. I didn't get a chance, so my table looked a little terrible down the front.


I really like my displays. I made those brown necklace holders out of cardboard and packaging paper. On the backs are recycled twist-ties to hold the necklaces in place. I really like these a lot, but I will need to think up a better way to have them on the table. If this were an outdoor show, they totally would have blown away. I'm thinking maybe using some more of those lake stones to ballast them a bit would work, but I will have to do some experiments to see for sure. That wooden step stool was for sale at a place called Antique World, in one of the vendors' booths. It is not an antique. However, it IS handmade and sturdy (hardwood) and it totally folds up in a clever way, which makes it pretty easy to transport. It's what I got myself for my birthday this year and I LOVE it! It will NOT move, come windstorm or earthquake. I made the bracelet holder (you may remember that) and that bucket I've filled with chocolate eggs came from JoAnn Fabric. It's great because it has one flat side with two holes in it. Guess what that's going to be used for? That's right! Photographing earrings. :D

Anyway, so even though the show didn't turn out anything like we all had expected, it was still a fantastic time. I'm glad to have some new friends and will be tweaking my displays for the next show.

What have you all been up to this weekend?

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Inspiration In Unexpected Places

Today I want to share another outlet for artistic expression online: deviantArt. You've probably heard of this site; some of you folks probably even have a membership there. But for those who don't, I want to give you a sneak peek at what wonderful, brilliant things are being offered there. (All images are used here with permission from their respective artists.)

despair.deviantart.com; used with permission

There is quite a number of extremely talented photographers on deviantArt, despair among them. This photo on the left is of a blossom in a sun shower; it illustrates that we can find inspiration in opposites in our own world. It also proves that these can be presented in magical, fairy-tale ways.

DeviantArt is also home to many very gifted writers, this poet among them. He found inspiration in the image of a stoic bird perched in the countryside:

Solitary Blackbird

saiun

A fencepost stands tall,
Amid a golden green sea.
   Solitary blackbird.

 

bugatha1, used with permission

And mixed-media artists of all kinds, such as bugatha1, with her whimsical, darkly humorous found-object collages and vignettes. Her vision and artistic sensibilities allow her to give old things, such as toys and matchstick boxes, new manifestations. These tantalize us with half-familiar icons arranged in ways that create mystery and intrigue.

 And, of course, jewelry artists.

These pieces are about finding inspiration in our everyday lives, and how we translate these experiences into our own worlds on a daily basis. Our perspectives are uniquely our own; artwork and writings allow us to share them with others. Go out into the world! Look around; try to notice things you would otherwise overlook and seek inspiration in them. It may be a mossy stone at the end of the driveway, or the first spring blossoms poking their buds up out of the snow. It may be shards of wood that were broken from the eaves by frost, or a pool of water forming in the middle of the creek where ice is starting to thaw.

These are daily treasures and can serve to spark magnificent things.

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Pay It Forward!

As promised, here is the post detailing the Pay It Forward giveaway. This concept did not begin with the fabulous Amybeads, but this round did.

My Story:

All through grade school, I used to get bullied by my classmates. When middle school started, I was so anxious about being bullied by even more people (it was a much bigger school than my elementary), that I actually gave myself physical health problems. It was the first week of classes in the new school at lunch period and I was standing in line straight-faced, not looking forward to sitting all along again, when I heard a voice next to me. "So what's your name?" I was so surprised, I didn't answer. "Hello! Earth to you! What's your name?" I said it guiltily. "Well, my name's Kim," she said. She started telling me all about herself. When I went to my table in the corner, she followed me and sat down, too. Even though I was chilly to her, she was determined to be my friend. It was this friendship that got me through those middle school years. Her sweet intervention was exactly what I needed; I hope she knows how grateful I am all these years later.

 
The Pay It Forward Details:

I am offering five handmade goodies to five individuals free of charge. The only stipulations are that (1) they share an inspiring story where someone helped them out in a situation, and (2) they offer five handmade goodies to others with the same stipulations in order to "pay it forward".

 

There is no limit as to what kind of handmade goodies one can offer; only one's creativity. ;) As many of us here are, I am a pretty multi-talented individual. The goody can be a drawing, a painting, a craft item, a piece of jewelry, something knitted or crocheted, something sewn, or so forth.

So the first five commenters, if they agree to carry on the Pay It Forward, will receive one free handmade gift each. :) All you have to do is comment with your inspirational story and pay it forward yourself on your blog!

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Sneak Peek: March is for Creating Worlds! :D

If you are here for the Bead Soup Blog Party, you can find my post here! 

I'm still blog hopping, but I wanted to post an update on something I'm planning for March. In fact, this is partly inspired by the BSBP; as I hop around and look at all the marvelous pieces that participants have created, many of them have made me think of other places, other worlds, and other times.

I like pieces that inspire these kinds of musings. They transport the viewer via imagination. Don't know what I mean? Pick up the newest copy of Belle Armoire Jewelry, or the books Enchanted Adornments by Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl Studios or Amulets and Talismans by Robert Dancik and you'll see!

As a writer, I am often involved with world-building---whether it's in my own work or while helping someone else with their stories. But you know, we're all involved in world-building as consumers. Everything from listening to music to watching a movie, from running a computer program to playing a video game, can transport us in our imaginations to other times and places.
 

"They had great broches of emerald, earings of pearls that were so great and round and plentifull that they were reminisent of small bunches of grapes. Also, they were adorned with gold that was laid in with bits of broken up shell, polished until they shone bright as opalls. These were the prince and princess of Perania, the ailand kingdom whose eye was always fixed upon the sea. As far as a Cormorin could dream, and further than he could see, her ships did sail; though none had ever reached Corminlan continent to the far south. Thus now did the Cormorin sailors gaze upon the fairest city in all of Evalan, faces full all of wunder, and they were quite enamoured of her..."

[sic.; Captain Darrow's ship logs, Chronicles of Evalan]

So this month I am devoting my blog to creating worlds and will be exploring how to capture this quality of imaginative transportation with jewelry. You're welcome to make this voyage with me. :) There will be creative prompts, tutorials, shared resources, inspirations, reviews, interviews and features, and we'll see what else!

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ATTN: BEAD SOUP POST IS BELOW.

If you're here for the Bead Soup Blog Party, the post is one below or you can find it here! Thanks.
I am still hopping blogs myself and am having so much fun! :D

Two great things to note, though!

I just got an email from the Rings & Things blog (I'm a blog partner, if you can't already tell by my little badge on the right!), and I was one of the ten winners for this month's goodies pack drawing! What a wonderful birthday present. :D My fiance and I always drool over the Rings & Things ads in the magazines, so it will be an absolute thrill to work with some of their materials. I can't wait!

And one of my necklaces that I blogged about a while back was featured in an etsy treasury. :) I feel so honored! This is only my second treasury and I think it may be the same piece, but either way, I'm tickled pink. :3 I love the theme, too: "woodland mystique."

'woodland mystique' by Vanessaisms

hi friends

Twin Baby Fawns Woodlan... carriveau $30.00	Tree Stump Pincushion hitree $22.00	Photo Card - Bunny Love... PhotographicEy... $20.00	Retro Daizy Chain jamberrysong $24.00
Chocolate Leather Flowe... bijubrill $30.00	Forest friend plush - D... thumbly $19.00	A Natural "Nest&qu... nestibles $10.00	Junco and Lilacs - 5x7 ... ThePaperButter... $8.50
Paper Lace Earth Light ... paperplanet $9.00	Solitude, 11x14 Sepia F... olivetto $25.00	Photo Tree Frog Portrai... clockworkgh0st $3.00	2 Ceramic Owls BROOKLYNrehab $24.00
toadstool mushroom ring Vanessaisms $19.00	Petite Nest Handmade Bi... dreamsbythesea $34.00	Autumnal Gold Earrings ... BanditOctopusC... $18.00	Cream poppy bowl PrinceDesignUK $28.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Ah, I can't wait to walk out among the leaves and flowers again! Soon, soon...


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